🇨🇳 China vs 🇮🇷 Iran
35 indicators below, published by both countries and set side by side. They differ most on inflation rate, where Iran’s figure is 702.9× higher.
Side by Side
Each bar is scaled against the larger of the two values, so the gap is visible rather than only stated.
Bars compare magnitude only. A larger value is not a better one — several of these indicators have no better direction, and for others the lower figure is the favourable one.
Every Shared Indicator
35 indicators published for both countries. Bold marks the larger of the two values — larger is not always better. Ranks are out of the countries that report each indicator.
| Indicator | China | Iran | China vs Iran |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,406,585,0002nd of 240 | 92,417,68117th of 240 | 1,314,167,319 apart |
| Annual Growth Rate | −0.17%208th of 240 | +0.92%112th of 240 | 1.09 points apart |
| Population Density/km² | 150/km²82nd of 240 | 56/km²161st of 240 | 2.7× higher |
| Land Areakm² | 9,388,210 km²2nd of 240 | 1,622,500 km²17th of 240 | 5.8× higher |
| Urban Population | 66.3%116th of 240 | 77.4%82nd of 240 | 14% lower |
| GDP per Capita | $13,862110th of 240 | $3,924177th of 240 | 3.5× higher |
| GDP Growth | +5.0%54th of 210 | −2.8%206th of 210 | 7.8 points apart |
| Life Expectancyyears | 78.0 years83rd of 240 | 77.9 years90th of 240 | 0% higher |
| Fertility Ratebirths per woman | 1.01 births per woman230th of 240 | 1.68 births per woman145th of 240 | 40% lower |
| Birth Rateper 1,000 | 6.8 per 1,000202nd of 213 | 12.6 per 1,000112th of 213 | 46% lower |
| Death Rateper 1,000 | 7.8 per 1,00087th of 213 | 4.8 per 1,000196th of 213 | 1.6× higher |
| Infant Mortalityper 1,000 live births | 4.1 per 1,000 live births39th of 194 | 10.3 per 1,000 live births83rd of 194 | 2.5× lower |
| Unemployment Rate | 4.6%76th of 186 | 8.3%133rd of 186 | 44% lower |
| Inflation Rate | 0.1%176th of 191 | 42.2%6th of 191 | 42.1 points apart |
| Poverty Rate | 0.0%1st of 164 | 8.3%18th of 164 | 8.3 points apart |
| Gini Index | 36.092nd of 170 | 35.991st of 170 | 0% higher |
| Health Spendingof GDP | 5.9% of GDP106th of 192 | 6.0% of GDP104th of 192 | 1% lower |
| Physiciansper 1,000 | 3.11 per 1,00057th of 206 | 1.81 per 1,00094th of 206 | 1.7× higher |
| Hospital Bedsper 1,000 | 5.63 per 1,00024th of 199 | 1.85 per 1,000122nd of 199 | 3.0× higher |
| Literacy Rate | 96.7%66th of 175 | 88.9%107th of 175 | 9% higher |
| Education Spendingof GDP | 3.9% of GDP112th of 202 | 2.8% of GDP161st of 202 | 38% higher |
| School Enrollmentgross, secondary | 92.3% gross, secondary97th of 207 | 85.1% gross, secondary130th of 207 | 8% higher |
| Renewable Energyof final consumption | 15.2% of final consumption122nd of 211 | 0.9% of final consumption192nd of 211 | 14.3 points apart |
| Forest Coverageof land area | 24.0% of land area121st of 211 | 6.6% of land area173rd of 211 | 3.6× higher |
| Internet Penetration | 91.6%51st of 211 | 85.3%85th of 211 | 7% higher |
| Mobile Subscriptionsper 100 people | 131.8 per 100 people54th of 212 | 174.1 per 100 people16th of 212 | 24% lower |
| Maternal Mortalityper 100,000 live births | 16 per 100,000 live births62nd of 193 | 16 per 100,000 live births62nd of 193 | Equal |
| Military Spendingof GDP | 1.71% of GDP83rd of 163 | 2.01% of GDP66th of 163 | 15% lower |
| Protected Areasof land area | 15.6% of land area119th of 211 | 7.8% of land area166th of 211 | 2.0× higher |
| Median Ageyears | 40.1 years61st of 240 | 34.0 years114th of 240 | 18% higher |
| Mean Years of Schoolingyears | 9.0 years87th of 148 | 9.8 years72nd of 148 | 8% lower |
| Human Development Index | 0.79777th of 192 | 0.79974th of 192 | 0% lower |
| Happiness Index/ 10 | 6.07/ 1067th of 164 | 5.15/ 10104th of 164 | 18% higher |
| CO₂ Emissionstonnes per capita | 8.66 tonnes per capita30th of 212 | 8.66 tonnes per capita31st of 212 | 0% higher |
| Obesity Rate | 9.1%174th of 198 | 25.7%93rd of 198 | 2.8× lower |
Values are each country’s most recent published observation, so the two sides of a row may be from different years — the country pages show the year for each. Bold marks the larger of the two, which is not always the better one.
Population, 1950–2100
Observed to 2024, then the UN medium-variant projection.
| Series | Year | Value |
|---|---|---|
| China | 1950 | 544M |
| China | 1975 | 916.1M |
| China | 2000 | 1.27B |
| China | 2025 | 1.42B |
| China | 2050 | 1.26B |
| China | 2075 | 934.5M |
| China | 2100 | 633.4M |
| Iran | 1950 | 16.5M |
| Iran | 1975 | 33.8M |
| Iran | 2000 | 66.4M |
| Iran | 2025 | 92.4M |
| Iran | 2050 | 101.9M |
| Iran | 2075 | 93.8M |
| Iran | 2100 | 80M |
Reading This Comparison
Size is not the same as rate
Totals and per-capita measures answer different questions. A country can have a far larger economy and a far lower GDP per capita at the same time — both facts are in the table.
Mind the vintages
Each value is the latest available for that country, which is not always the same year on both sides. For indicators that move slowly this rarely matters; for inflation or GDP growth it can.